Western Sahara News

NEW YORK-The UN committee on the situation with regard to the implementation of the UN Declaration on the Granting of Independence, or "Special Committee of 24", reviewed Friday at UN headquarters (New York) 16 issues of non-colonized territories including Western Sahara. During the review of the situation of the Sahrawi case, representative of South Africa Maniemagen Govender said that the Department of Legal Affairs of the UN had supported the request of the people of Western Sahara to exercise its right to self-determination. He then urged the Security Council to support the political process between the Polisario Front and Morocco in ensuring that the mandate of MINURSO (UN Mission for the organization of a referendum in Western Sahara) is respected around its three priorities. In this regard, he stressed that the priorities of the MINURSO consist in acting as an instrument of stability, implementation of a referendum and to provide independent information to the Unite

FLORENCE (Italy) - Saharawi President Mohamed Abdelaziz reaffirmed Saturday in Florence the right of the Saharawi people to self-determination and independence through the holding of a fair and transparent referendum in Western Sahara illegally occupied by Morocco. "As you know the question of Western Sahara issue is a clear and simple in that it is a problem of decolonization included in the UN agenda since 1965, its solution lies in the exercise by the Saharawi people of its inalienable right to self-determination freely and transparently," said Abdelaziz before the 2nd international conference on" Law, human Rights, Western Sahara between occupation and self-determination." "Since 2004, Morocco was constantly revealing its intentions to evade its international obligations by rejecting the referendum or any other solution that does not legitimize its illegal occupation of Western Sahara", he said, noting that "to date, the international community

The Western Sahara had been suffering for more than 40 years. The Saharan people were the only ones who could decide their future, she stressed. There had been four rounds of formal those negotiations, although no progress on status had been made. The Saharan people needed the international community’s support. Cuba, with its few available resources, was committed to lending that support, in particular, in the area of education. She also called on Member States to offer study opportunities to students from Non-Self-Governing Territories. The Saharan people could always count on Cuba’s solidarity, she said MARIAELENA ANZOLA PADRON ( Venezuela) said that it also stood in solidarity with the people of Western Sahara, as they sought to exercise their right to self-determination, which must be respected. Venezuela recognized the Saharawi Democratic Republic, and with the help of the United Nations, the people of that country would be able to exercise their right to self-determinati

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced the appointment of Wolfgang Weisbrod-Weber of Germany as his Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara ( MINURSO ). Mr. Weisbrod-Weber succeeds Hany Abdel-Aziz of Egypt, who completed his assignment on 30 April 2012. “The Secretary-General is grateful for his strong leadership and perseverance,” Mr. Ban’s spokesperson said in news release. The spokesperson added that Mr. Weisbrod-Weber brings to the post 28 years of experience with the United Nations and a strong background in peacekeeping direction and management, both in headquarters and in field operations, such as with the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan ( UNAMA ) and the UN Mission in East Timor ( UNMIT ). UN News Centre , 15/06/2012

Prosecutors in Germany say police have arrested a man on suspicion of spying for Moroccan intelligence on supporters of the Polisario group, which seeks independence for the Western Sahara region. Federal prosecutors say the suspect, identified only as Mohammed B. in line with German privacy rules, was arrested in Berlin on Wednesday. They said in a statement that police searched the man’s apartment as well as houses and offices of two other suspects. Prosecutors say the 56-year-old Moroccan-German dual national is suspected of having spied mostly on German-based members of Polisario. The group advocates independence for the Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony taken over by Morocco in 1975. Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Rue20 , 14/06/2012

A group of European Parliamentarians visited yesterday the town of Dakhla in occupied Western Sahara in the context of lobbying for continued EU fisheries in the territory that Morocco has illegally occupied. A Saharawi fisherman from Dakhla says European vessels, currently fishing in southern Western Sahara under non-European flags, were in a place called 'La Sarga', some 8 km out of Dakhla harbour, during the Parliamentarians' visit. The delegation is said to have only stayed at the port for 15 minutes, during which only Moroccan fishermen were allowed to enter the premises. From what Western Sahara Resource Watch has been told, the entire fleet of private industrial vessels was pulled out of the harbour before the MEPs' arrival to the port yesterday early afternoon. After the Parliamentarians had left town, the vessels returned. The video was filmed shortly after their return. Saharawi fishermen committees tried to meet with members of the delegation, but state t

(2012-06-08) The Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights (RFK Center) and the Collective of Sahrawi Human Rights Defenders (CODESA) are deeply concerned by the failure of the Moroccan government to fully investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of Sahrawi national Said Dambar (26) and by their refusal to inform his family of his whereabouts. Under Article 2 (3) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the Moroccan government has an obligation to investigate Mr. Dambar's death. Moreover, the right to know the fate and the whereabouts of relatives is widely recognized in international law and Morocco is a signatory on the International Convention on Disappeared Persons. Mr. Dambar was allegedly shot and killed by a Moroccan police officer on December 22, 2010. That day, the police came to Mr. Dambar's house in the middle of the night to tell his family that he had been beaten by a police officer and that they needed to see his